


Insecurity

by jellyfishline



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkwardness, First Love, Fluff, Ice Cream, Insecurity, M/M, Slice of Life, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 01:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12097695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfishline/pseuds/jellyfishline
Summary: Noctis has only been dating Prompto for a few weeks, but he knew a conversation like this was bound to happen sooner or later.





	Insecurity

**Author's Note:**

> Written for promptis fanweek on tumblr. The prompt was **high school days**.

It’s a blindingly bright day and, frankly, way too hot for May. Noct’s got his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and he’s still sweating. It might actually be kind of embarrassing, if Prompto wasn’t so rumpled and pink-faced that Noct’s almost worried he’s gonna get heatstroke.

“Hey,” Noct says, as they’re forced to stop at a crosswalk. The blur of traffic is almost dizzyingly fast, cars speeding past only inches away from the glossy toes of their uniform shoes. “You wanna get, like, an ice cream or something?”

A pause. Prompto picks at his bookbag like he’s testing the strength of the strap over his shoulder.

“I mean, if you want to,” Noct adds, pointlessly. “Or we could do something else. I don’t care.”

Prompto still isn’t looking at him. He worries his lower lip between his teeth.

“You sure?” he says, after a moment.

Noct thumps him on the back. “Why would I ask if I wasn’t?”

Prompto elbows him back. “Yeah, I know. But, you don’t…” he hesitates, starts over. “You don’t have somewhere else to be, right?”

“Nope. Today’s all clear.” Noctis tilts his head, trying to catch Prompto’s eye without being too obvious about it. “Does that… matter?”

Prompto shrugs.

Silence hangs between them, humid and heavy with the noise of cars. Noct thinks about saying something else—pressing the issue until Prompto lets out whatever’s on his mind. Before he can pick out the words to use, Prompto’s nudging him with his shoulder.

The crosswalk light is green.

“C’mon,” Prompto says. “I’ll split a cone with you. I’m buying.”

 

***

 

Noctis wasn’t lying about having the day to himself. After they pick up their cone and spend a few minutes arguing about flavors, they decide to wander back to Noct’s apartment through the park. It’s full of sunshine and lilacs and dogs tugging at their owners’ leashes, but not even the sight of a corgi jogging energetically after a bear-sized old mutt is enough to jog Prompto out of his thoughts.

“Hey,” Noctis says, after the silence has stretched to it’s breaking point. “Is something… bothering you?”

He’s sort of expecting Prompto to laugh off the question the way he usually does. Instead, Prompto just keeps staring at the cone in his hand. It’s mint chocolate—Prompto’s favorite. Yet, Noct realizes, he doesn’t think Prompto’s had so much of a lick of it yet.

Noctis stops walking. Prompto keeps going for half a step, stopping only when Noct catches him by the shoulder.

“What’s up?” Noct asks. He fights to keep his tone light—he doesn’t want to corner Prompto if he doesn’t want to talk about it, but he also knows that sometimes Prompto just _won’t_ talk about things unless Noct brings it up first.

“It’s not important,” Prompto mutters. He’s still not meeting Noct’s eye.

“Okay,” Noct says.

Neither of them move.

The ice cream’s melting. It drips down Prompto’s hand, under his wristband. Noct snatches the cone away before it can get on his uniform.

The action seems to startle Prompto out of his thoughts. He blinks and refocuses on Noct’s face. “Hey, I was gonna eat that,” he says, half-hearted at best.

“Yeah right,” Noct says, and the words aren’t harsh, aren’t meant to be, but Prompto looks away as if they were.

Noctis digs the toe of his shoe into the ground. He doesn’t understand how to act in a situation like this. Normally Prompto’s the one who brightens the mood. And Noct’s not even sure if it _needs_ to be brightened, or if this is the kinda problem that has to be gone through the hard way.

“You, uh, wanna sit down?” he asks, after moment. “There’s a bench over there.”

Prompto nods, and they make their way to an old bench in the shade of some overgrown bushes. Prompto slouches forward, picking at his wristband—a nervous tic, Ignis calls it.

Noctis eats some of the ice cream, just to keep it from making a mess. He barely even tastes it.

“So,” Prompto says. Noct holds his breath. “I’ve, um. I’ve been thinking.”

Noct doesn’t know if he’s supposed to answer. He tries to keep as still as possible, focused on the ice cream in his hand. He doesn’t want to spook him out of saying whatever it is he’s gotta say.

It seems to be a good choice, because Prompto keeps talking.

“Is this… y’know, is this gonna…” Prompto makes a motion with his hand like he’s searching for a word. “Is it worth it?”

Noct turns the words over in his head a few times. “Uh, is _what_ worth it?” he asks, finally.

Prompto makes a frustrated noise in his throat. “Y’know. _Us_.” Prompto shifts his shoulders awkwardly. “Like, I know you said I didn’t have to worry about it, but… I don’t wanna get you in trouble. Or whatever.”

Noct’s stomach sinks into his shoes. _Oh_. Of _course_ it was something to do with this.

“I’m not in trouble,” he says, as evenly as he can manage when it feels like his throat is gonna burst into splinters if he talks too loud.

Prompto nods. He’s still picking at the wristband. He’s gonna pull it to shreds if he keeps worrying it like that.

“Did someone say something to you?” Noct says, mentally reviewing the list of people who might have said shit to Prompto in the past few days and if it would cause a diplomatic incident if he kicked any of them in the stomach.

“No.” Prompto shakes his head. “No, dude, it’s just… I don’t know. I don’t wanna get in the way of your… princely stuff.”

“You aren’t,” Noct says automatically. Shit, he is going to _kill_ Ignis. He made that stupid comment about Prompto taking up too much of Noct’s time _weeks_ ago, but apparently it made so much of an impression that Prompto’s still beating himself up over it.

Unless…

Noctis feels an icy wave of dread rush down his spine. “Did—did _I_ say something? That made you think I didn’t wanna date you, or…”

“No, no way,” Prompto says quickly. “No, it’s just— _ergh_.” He makes that frustrated sound again. “I’m just being stupid.”

Noct doesn’t know what to say to that. He scoots across the bench until their shoulders are touching. It’s not exactly a grand gesture of affection, but Noct knows that even the smallest of touches have a way of getting Prompto out of his thoughts. It’s one of the things they have in common.

“I know you wanna be with me,” Prompto says, quietly. “It’s just… I keep thinking. What if someone decides I’m a— _bad influence_ or something. What if it gets out that we’re together and someone upstairs decides that I’m a distraction, or that I’m gonna screw up your chance for an heir or—I don’t know. What if they make it so I’m never allowed to see you again?”

Noct winces. He can’t help it. He’s worried about the same damn thing ever since they became friends. And now… gods, it keeps him up at night, sometimes.

“I… kinda know what you mean,” he admits.

Prompto leans his head on his shoulder. “I was afraid you’d say that,” he mumbles.

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Noct says. “I mean—yeah. We do kinda have the whole world breathing down our necks. But… Prompto, people _like_ you.”

Prompto ducks his face into Noct’s shoulder. “Shut up.”

 _“Seriously_ , dude,” Noct says, giving him a little shake. “I know you don’t believe me or whatever, but it’s true. Gladio likes you, specs warmed up to you the minute he got that stick out of his ass—my dad likes you and he hasn’t even _met_ you.”

Prompto sits bolt upright. “Your _dad_ likes me?”

“Um. Yeah?” Noct’s not sure he really gets the expression of mixed shock and horror on Prompto’s face. “Like, he didn’t _say_ it exactly, but he thinks you’re ‘good for me’ or whatever. He wants to meet you. Actually, I think he’s gonna try to get you an invite to the solstice banquet? So like, watch out for that. It’s pretty dull. Um.”

Prompto looks like he’s internally combusting. “He doesn’t— _know_ about us, does he?”

“What? No!” Noct shakes his head. “No, gods—I wouldn’t just tell him like that. Not without talking to you first. I mean. We said we weren’t gonna tell anyone yet, right?”

“Right. Yeah.” Prompto has both hands clapped over his mouth. “Holy shit. He really thinks I’m good for you?”

“You _are_ good for me, dude.”

Prompto is staring vaguely into the middle distance again. Noct, gently, puts a hand on his back.

“People really like you, Prom,” he says. “And I get that you’re new to all this stuff, but being liked is seriously half the battle in politics. You already passed your background check and everything, so like… I don’t think anyone’s gonna kick you out unless it turns out you’re plotting my death.”

Prompto makes a noise like a laugh that got caught in his throat. “You never know, dude,” he says, giving Noct a shaky smile. “I might be an assassin or something.”

“Yeah, totally.” Noct slaps a hand to his chest. “You sniped me right in the heart.”

For about half a second, they stare at each other. Then, suddenly, Prompto seizes the back of Noct’s head and kisses the shit out of him.

“Uh?” Noct says, the moment he’s allowed to breathe.

“You’re a _nerd_ ,” Prompto says, like that’s an explanation. “And there was ice cream on your face. It was bugging the crap out of me.”

“Uh,” Noct says. His brain needs to reboot.

Prompto’s ears go pink. “People are staring, aren’t they?”

“A little bit,” Noct admits. “I don’t, um. I don’t think they’ve recognized me?”

“Right. Awesome.” Prompto jumps off the bench. “Let’s get out of here before someone catches us, okay?”

He holds out a hand. Noctis takes it without even thinking about it.

“Okay,” he says, as Prompto pulls him off the shaded bench and back into the brilliant sunshine. “But I’m not going home before I buy you another ice cream.”


End file.
